In every engineering program nowadays, there is always a course about CAD modeling. As school is supposed to prepare students for professional careers, Universities understand the importance of cad modeling in every industry today.
First, CAD means Computer-Aided Design. It was created to replace manual drafting with the help of computers. CAD Technology allows 2D or 3D renderings of the drafts. With 2D Modeling, it is as if, the users were drawing on a sheet of paper whereas 3D modeling brings the design to life in the 3D Space.
With CAD Modeling, drafters, artists, manufacturers, designers, architects, and engineers can test their design ideas, draft construction and engineering plans and visualize a realistic representation of their projects.
Most engineering processes begin with the conceptual stage where a different set of ideas are explored and tested, to the production stage and delivery of the products, buildings, or infrastructures to the final users. Throughout this process, precision, accuracy, and efficiency are expected from engineers while at the same time respecting deadlines and budgets. In this capacity, CAD technology reveals itself as being useful to increase the efficiency of the processes by saving some time and offering accuracy and precision that manual calculations or drafting cannot. It allows users to modify and optimize processes in a few clicks.
Whether it is, Chemical, Electrical, Civil, Mechanical, Biomedical, or Mining Engineering, CAD modeling offers many advantages that will be listed below:
1. Savings of design time and increased efficiency
Engineers are saving a lot of time with CAD technology because there is no need for hand drafting anymore. Drafting tasks that would have taken months and months to complete can now be accomplished in a few minutes. Also, in case of a mistake or requirements changes, engineers won’t have to redo the whole design again. With just a few clicks, the new requirements can be added, and the errors corrected. In addition, in many CAD software, templates, as well as nomenclature of recurrent elements, are included. The users can just use those elements in their drawings and don’t have to draw them again. Some elements in the conception can be isolated or added to other designs which allows the engineers to test different design combinations in a short period.
2. Better Precision and Accuracy
CAD technology software brings more accuracy and precision through the analysis of the viability of the designs with the help of mathematical models, therefore, reducing the need for physical prototype testing as well as mistakes.
Most CAD software allows the usage of real data from the project to do costs and deadlines estimations. By using data from the project in real-time, engineers get a better sense of the reality and an accurate design that could be modified as the project progresses.
3. Costs Reduction and accuracy of costs estimation
By reducing considerably, the time associated with the design, projects are delivered in a faster time, and mistakes or faults in the design are detected earlier. In the long run, it reduces considerably the project costs.
Also, the accuracy and precision brought by CAD modeling software allow for accurate costs estimations earlier in the conceptual phase.
To conclude, CAD Technology is a powerful tool that engineers could use to get more efficient and produce more accurate designs while at the same time, reducing the costs associated with a project.
With Promine, engineers and geologists can model diamond drill holes, as well as the 3D model of an orebody. They can design the drifts and the stopes and get volume and tonnage calculations. With the surveying modules, they can model real-time drifts and compare them to the planned stopes. With the mine planning module, different cost reports can be generated, and a Gantt chart produced.
References:
CAD Software: 2D And 3D Computer-Aided Design. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.autodesk.ca/en/solutions/cad-software
Bethany. (2021, June 05). How Engineers Use Computer Aided Design. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.scan2cad.com/blog/cad/how-engineers-use-cad/
Kadoch. (2020, January 13). 5 avantages de la modélisation 3D pour la conception de vos projets énergétiques. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.stantec.com/fr/ideas/content/blog/2020/from-stantec-era-5-ways-3d-modeling-changing-the-way-we-design-power-projects
What is 3D CAD Modeling? – Product Design Company: Design Launchers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.designlaunchers.com/what-is-3d-cad-modeling
